ISBN

All books published in Australia and elsewhere should have an ISBN (international standard book number). The production of the barcode for the book cover is included in the service provided by Chameleon Print Design.

Thorpe-Bowker holds the Australian agency for the distribution of ISBN numbers. As stated on their website (http://www.thorpe.com.au/en-AU/products/servident_isbn.shtml) “The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. Each number identifies a unique edition of a publication, from one specific publisher, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.”

You do not have to be publisher or organisation to obtain an ISBN number allocation. Self-publishers are known as “self-allocators”. At the time of printing, Thorpe-Bowker was charging $55 to register as a publisher, $40 for an individual ISBN and $80 for a block of ten ISBNs. Application forms are available at their website or contact them at the number/address below:

ISBN Agency

Thorpe-Bowker
Level One, 607 St Kilda Road
(PO Box 6509, St Kilda Road Central VIC 8008)
Melbourne VIC 3004

Telephone: +61-3-8645-0385
Email: isbn@thorpe.com.au

Cataloguing in Publication (CiP)

Cataloguing in Publication (CiP) is a free service offered to publishers by the National Library of Australia to provide a bibliographic record for a book before it is published. When the book is published the CiP data is printed on the reverse side of the title page. The CiP data is also included in the National Bibliographic Database (NBD) available on Kinetica, Australia’s Library Network. Visit www.nla.gov.au/services/CIP.html for further information.

Libraries are both major purchasers and supporters of books published in Australia, so utilising this service makes a lot sense.